Dog Photographer of the Year 2018 launches today

The Kennel Club begins its search once more for the best dog photographers around the world as its annual Dog Photographer of the Year competition launches today.

Now in its thirteenth year, last year the international competition received almost 10,000 entries from over 75 different countries around the globe, including Canada, Russia, Brazil and New Zealand, making it the biggest and most popular canine photography competition in the world.

The competition, which opens today, is free to enter and will be accepting submissions until 4th April 2018.

The competition comprises ten categories:

Dogs at Play

Portrait

Oldies

Dogs at Work

Puppies

Man's Best Friend

Young Pup Photographer (for entrants aged 11 and under)

‘I Love Dogs Because …’ (for entrants aged between 12 and 17)

Assistance Dogs

Rescue Dogs

An overall winner will then be chosen from the winning ten images.

Portuguese photographer Maria Davison was selected as the overall winner of last year’s competition with her winning image of a puppy resting beside her owner’s feet. Upon winning the biggest canine photography competition in the world, Maria said: “This image was already close to my heart and it is one of the photographs I am most proud of. It was not only a beautiful, real and candid moment I got to capture, but also a demonstration of the strong bond between one of my closest friends and her dog, Yzma. Winning not only the Man’s Best Friend category, but also the overall winner prize with this picture feels really good.”

The overall winner will receive an original oil painting of their image by award-winning artist Sara Abbott.

All category winners will have their images on display at the Kennel Club in Mayfair, and will win a SmugMug photography website to showcase their work online and a one day photography course offered by Nikon School UK, as well as a trophy and exhibition print from Loxley Colour presented during an award ceremony.

The Assistance Dog and Rescue Dog category winners will also receive a £500 donation from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust to their chosen dog charity.

The winner of the 2017 ‘Assistance Dogs’ category was Alasdair MacLeod from Ayrshire, Scotland, who took a candid shot of retired Greyhound, Megan from Canine Concern Scotland visiting local care home resident Duncan, a 95 year-old RAF veteran who flew in the ‘Dambusters’ squadron. Alexandra Robins from Wiltshire won the ‘Rescue Dog’ category for her intimate portrait of rescue dog Chloe with her carer at Bath Cats and Dogs Home. The two winners chose for their £500 donations to go to Therapet and Bath Cats and Dogs Home respectively.